topic Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card? in Credit Cards

Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 08:59:26 GMT

Not sure if this is the right place to post but I was wondering if eventbrite purchases count as entertainment?

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 10:18:08 GMT

According to the Visa MCC lookup, their headquarters codes as Computer Stores / Services.

Another location codes as Movies / Theaters / Music / Dance Studios...which would be entertaiment

As always it's best to do a small trial transaction to be sure.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

NRB525 — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 12:03:19 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Not sure if this is the right place to post but I was wondering if eventbrite purchases count as entertainment?

Enquiring minds want to know.

The neat thing about CapOne Savor is that as soon as it moves from pending to posted, you will know by looking at your online account list of charges. I bought a ski coat at a ski area, and it coded as Entertainment. Score 4% back. Chase has similar ability, showing the number of points a transaction is earning as soon as it posts.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 19:37:38 GMT

I was wondering the same thing, but it appears that Eventbrite is yet another third-party ticket seller that comes through as "Other Services" on the statement. Had this same disappointment with Brown Paper Tickets, and was even shocked to learn that buying tickets in person directly from the Hollywood Bowl box office here in L.A. didn't even code as "Entertainment", but (you guessed it) "Other Services". It's so obnoxious, starting to really regret even going through trouble of getting the Savor when these charges would have got me much better point value on another card, especially since they're usually pretty high cost purchases.

Oh well, you live, you learn, you curse Capital One.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 19:48:22 GMT

It’s not Capital One’s fault that merchants use the wrong MCCs.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

NRB525 — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 23:09:07 GMT

True. But given the multiple situations I have had with my Savor card not getting “Entertainment” it makes it easier to close on my preferred timing of 23 months after opening.

1) LegoLand California at-the-gate tickets not entertainment.
2) On-line renewal of snow skiing season Pass Epic Pass not entertainment.

I need to reduce cards anyhow, and Dining cards are everywhere.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 23:42:57 GMT

I have the Citi Premier card, and formerly the ThankYou Card, which both earned 2X Entertainment, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many things have coded as entertainment that I thought were in a questionable category that could go either way. Those ones where you're like "is this going to end up being a restaurant, or entertainment, or other?" and thankfully haven't gotten an other anytime I needed it to be a win.

I know this doesn't help with Savor, but it is an interesting point you bring up for other potential applicants, because I considered the Savor first. This is the quickest way to get me to leave a card, if nothing codes right for you, regardless of whose fault it is.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:32:13 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I have the Citi Premier card, and formerly the ThankYou Card, which both earned 2X Entertainment, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many things have coded as entertainment that I thought were in a questionable category that could go either way. Those ones where you're like "is this going to end up being a restaurant, or entertainment, or other?" and thankfully haven't gotten an other anytime I needed it to be a win.

I know this doesn't help with Savor, but it is an interesting point you bring up for other potential applicants, because I considered the Savor first. This is the quickest way to get me to leave a card, if nothing codes right for you, regardless of whose fault it is.

Anything that codes entertainment on the Premier should do so on the Savor as well unless Citi has more MCCs under their definition (which would be surprising). MCC codes aren’t per-issuer, they’re network-wide and AFAIA, Mastercard and VISA will code the same at the same merchant while Disco and AMEX can differ.

There are just a number of merchants, especially online, that don’t code correctly regardless of payment network.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

kdm31091 — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:49:15 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I have the Citi Premier card, and formerly the ThankYou Card, which both earned 2X Entertainment, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many things have coded as entertainment that I thought were in a questionable category that could go either way. Those ones where you're like "is this going to end up being a restaurant, or entertainment, or other?" and thankfully haven't gotten an other anytime I needed it to be a win.

I know this doesn't help with Savor, but it is an interesting point you bring up for other potential applicants, because I considered the Savor first. This is the quickest way to get me to leave a card, if nothing codes right for you, regardless of whose fault it is.
Anything that codes entertainment on the Premier should do so on the Savor as well unless Citi has more MCCs under their definition (which would be surprising). MCC codes aren’t per-issuer, they’re network-wide and AFAIA, Mastercard and VISA will code the same at the same merchant while Disco and AMEX can differ.

There are just a number of merchants, especially online, that don’t code correctly regardless of payment network.

Entertainment is a notoriously flaky category on Citi and apparently Capital One too, which I think is why more issuers don't bother with it. There's too much of a gray area.

Mastercard and Visa often use the same MCCs but not always. I've found Mastercard is more liberal with deciding my local Target is a grocery store, whereas on Visa it's a discount store.

Re: Does eventbrite code as entertainment for Savor card?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:59:19 GMT

@kdm31091 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I have the Citi Premier card, and formerly the ThankYou Card, which both earned 2X Entertainment, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many things have coded as entertainment that I thought were in a questionable category that could go either way. Those ones where you're like "is this going to end up being a restaurant, or entertainment, or other?" and thankfully haven't gotten an other anytime I needed it to be a win.

I know this doesn't help with Savor, but it is an interesting point you bring up for other potential applicants, because I considered the Savor first. This is the quickest way to get me to leave a card, if nothing codes right for you, regardless of whose fault it is.
Anything that codes entertainment on the Premier should do so on the Savor as well unless Citi has more MCCs under their definition (which would be surprising). MCC codes aren’t per-issuer, they’re network-wide and AFAIA, Mastercard and VISA will code the same at the same merchant while Disco and AMEX can differ.

There are just a number of merchants, especially online, that don’t code correctly regardless of payment network.
Entertainment is a notoriously flaky category on Citi and apparently Capital One too, which I think is why more issuers don't bother with it. There's too much of a gray area.

Mastercard and Visa often use the same MCCs but not always. I've found Mastercard is more liberal with deciding my local Target is a grocery store, whereas on Visa it's a discount store.

The grocery issue can literally come down to what terminal you use in the store. Each of my local Target stores has two MCCs on the VISA lookup tool per store which seems to suggest that there is a grocery register somewhere (I haven’t actually gone in one to confirm one way or the other and the last time I was in a Target, it was one at the mall probably 10 years ago that didn’t have groceries). The rest of the store is Discount Stores. A lot of our Walmarts are the same. If I shopped at either of those places, I would have been in the garden all year prepping to go for the UMB Simply Rewards card that covers grocery and discount stores specifically.

Entertainment is definitely messy as a category. If I can ever get to the point I can go out of the house for more than therapy, I’ll end up using the card at our Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie and I already looked up the MCC and Alamo codes as entertainment. Anything I’m unsure of I’ll use another card.